Pre-purchase casino credits

[Regguy]

It's hard to understand why there is such confusion.

 

"Play until you lose" is a weird way to describe what is actually happening here.   Everyone loses hands in a casino even when they win overall.   If you play for any reasonable period of time in you will always eventually lose your promo chips.  I mean, unless you go on such an amazing heater that you are wealthy beyond imagination and never lose and so stop caring whether your promo chips are redeemable.  

 

The only tricks here are (1) figuring out what denomination to purchase to ensure that you will have adequate turnover during your cruise, and (2) making sure that you don't psychologically change your betting approach based on the character of the freeplay chips and a sense that you want to "lose" them quicker.  

 

There are definitely some gamblers for whom this promotion does not make sense at all.  For example, if your style is to walk into a casino with a particular stake and make a decision that you will leave the moment you are up $x, then this is not for you.  

 

But if you like to spend 4 or 5 hours on a cruise playing blackjack, you really will not have any problem turning over the promo chips and at least one of the packages would give you a nice bump depending on the table minimum and the typical average bet you make.  For a $25 player who plays a few hours here and there, it is virtually inconceivable you won't lose 44 or 88 hands.  In the absolute "worst" case, if you have played several hours and you are done and you haven't lost your 88 hands, you are up a considerable amount of money, and you could simply take your remaining promo chips -- which are unlikely to be more than a few hundred dollars -- and put them all on red or black and keep playing until you lose.  But, again, this is very unlikely for anyone but the person who forgets he or she has the promo chips until the last night of the cruise and so starts acting irrationally.

[OldSeaDog1969]

20 hours ago, Drunken Crab said:

Could you show me how the gaming commissions definition of “played through” sounds like you know what you’re talking about, would be nice to see it in black and white. 

 

My worry, play through, per the gaming commission definition you show me, may only apply to comp or free chips and not promo chips you actually pay for because, as you know, the gaming commission is strict about things like that. 

 

I’ll wait for that definition of play through!

 

Dr. J - you are right!  the reason for a T&C is to take all the assumption about terms out of play and give you a strict understanding of the rules. Lets wait to see the gaming commisions‘ (probably need the commission that oversees cruise lines) legal definition of played through.  If it’s not a legal, defined term, it’s just like you said- just words that can have more than one meaning. it may be acceptable, but if i were the judge I give all the weight in my ruling that the chip is not redeemable in cash. That only has one meaning.

I have worked & played in Casinos for nearly 29 years & the term played through means unless the chips lose. Different Casinos have different promotions & they can vary. In this case RCL is giving up to 10% extra on your buy in without the 5% fee plus a free scratch card. No one is forcing any player to use the promotion. If it works for your style of play like Pompey Sailor then you can take advantage of it.

[clean1owner]

8 hours ago, MSPGuy said:

That's not how slots work....

 

The $3 is the price of the spin and is deducted when you push the button. No one stole anything. 

 

So it's not like making a bet on a table where you keep your bet and the winnings?  I obviously never play slots, and with a Vig like this, I have no reason to start.

[nolimits]

Gambling Commission ????? Your out past US limits. No such animal.They could hire

magicians to deal if they wanted.They govern themselves. That’s why there payouts (craps and blackjack )are skewed even more than usual.

[bilyclub]

I would really like to take Royal up on this, but alas it's not offered in my cruise planner.

[clean1owner]

4 hours ago, nolimits said:

Gambling Commission ????? Your out past US limits. No such animal.They could hire

magicians to deal if they wanted.They govern themselves. That’s why there payouts (craps and blackjack )are skewed even more than usual.

 

The Casino Manager is the Gambling Commission while at sea. 

 

[DrJAV]

8 hours ago, clean1owner said:

 

So it's not like making a bet on a table where you keep your bet and the winnings?  I obviously never play slots, and with a Vig like this, I have no reason to start.

 

Nowhere does any rule/casino specify you keep your bet and get separate "winnings". You're just winning money in some ratio to your original bet. BJ for example commonly pays 2:1 on your initial bet. It doesn't matter if you get your initial chip back or not, just that you get your 2:1 ratio. If you bet $5, you win $10. Most of the time the dealer just takes $5 from their bank and puts it next to your initial bet, thus giving you $10 back after the game has ended.

 

The dealer could take your $5 and then give you 2 different $5 chips but that just wastes 3 seconds of time on something that happens several times a minute. Or they could take your $5 and give you 10 x $1 chips instead so you can tip the bar wench. It doesnt matter what the hell happens to your actual initial chip because you're gonna get paid 2:1 multiplier on whatever it was in some form or another. If you play roulette and you make a $5 bet on a 5:1 gamble and win, you've won $25. They could give you your $5 chip back PLUS 4 x $5 chips or they could take your $5 chip and give you a $25 chip.

[Regguy]

If a wager pays 2:1, or “two to one” it pays out a $10 chip next to the original five $ bet.  If it pays out “two for one” it means the five dollar bet is forfeit once played regardless of result and twice the bet is returned for a win.  

 

A regular hand of blackjack pays 1:1.  A winning two card 21 usually pays 2:1 or maybe less depending on house rules.  

 

Edit:  Sorry, 3 to 2 on two card 21 or “blackjack” of course or 6:5 etc.  2 to 1 would be nice.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Regguy

[clean1owner]

9 hours ago, DrJAV said:

 

Nowhere does any rule/casino specify you keep your bet and get separate "winnings". You're just winning money in some ratio to your original bet. BJ for example commonly pays 2:1 on your initial bet. It doesn't matter if you get your initial chip back or not, just that you get your 2:1 ratio. If you bet $5, you win $10. Most of the time the dealer just takes $5 from their bank and puts it next to your initial bet, thus giving you $10 back after the game has ended.

 

The dealer could take your $5 and then give you 2 different $5 chips but that just wastes 3 seconds of time on something that happens several times a minute. Or they could take your $5 and give you 10 x $1 chips instead so you can tip the bar wench. It doesnt matter what the hell happens to your actual initial chip because you're gonna get paid 2:1 multiplier on whatever it was in some form or another. If you play roulette and you make a $5 bet on a 5:1 gamble and win, you've won $25. They could give you your $5 chip back PLUS 4 x $5 chips or they could take your $5 chip and give you a $25 chip.

 

 

Actually, your Roulette example is not 5:1, it is 5 FOR 1, and that makes a huge difference in the house edge. Roulette bets are all paid xx to one.

 

Now on a Craps table, the hardways and sometimes some of the props are paid xx for 1.  Hard 6 and 8 pay 10 for 1, which equates to 9:1, 4 and 10 pay 8 for 1, which equates to 7:1. As far as I know, craps is the only game where they have bets paying xx for 1. 

 

 

[clean1owner]

3 hours ago, Regguy said:

If a wager pays 2:1, or “two to one” it pays out a $10 chip next to the original five $ bet.  If it pays out “two for one” it means the five dollar bet is forfeit once played regardless of result and twice the bet is returned for a win.  

 

A regular hand of blackjack pays 1:1.  A winning two card 21 usually pays 2:1 or maybe less depending on house rules.  

 

Edit:  Sorry, 3 to 2 on two card 21 or “blackjack” of course or 6:5 etc.  2 to 1 would be nice.

 

 

 

 

Ships like the 6:5. I have even seen them pay even money on a Blackjack, unless you play green or better. Then you get the 3:2.

[rberns6171]

got off of celebrity infinity on monday   they had this promotion but you got $400 extra for $2000.00 double what royal gives you    they gave you $2400.00 PROMOTIONAL chips at cage  .  you bet PROMOTIONAL chips and they paid you in real chips.  kept the winnings separate and kept betting PROMOTIONAL chips   until ran out of them    took about 3 hours of play at a $25.00 blackjack table   got full credit for action on PROMOTIONAL chips   i am going on royal in january and will definitely do this again    if you are a regular gambler it is worth it    you cannot cash in promotional chips for cash    they say promotional chips on them  they ask what denominations you want at cage  dealer was also able to break $100.00 promotional chips at table for $25.00 and $5.00 chips    dealer dropped promotional chips down money slot every 30 minutes or so

[Regguy]

2 hours ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

Actually, your Roulette example is not 5:1, it is 5 FOR 1, and that makes a huge difference in the house edge. Roulette bets are all paid xx to one.

 

Now on a Craps table, the hardways and sometimes some of the props are paid xx for 1.  Hard 6 and 8 pay 10 for 1, which equates to 9:1, 4 and 10 pay 8 for 1, which equates to 7:1. As far as I know, craps is the only game where they have bets paying xx for 1. 

 

 

 

I think a traditional baccarat and mini baccarat table usually state the odds on a tie bet as "9 for 1."  

 

And while I don't know anything about slots, aren't the winnings traditionally posted on the machines if they still do it that way effectively "for" odds?  Like if the machine says that three triple bars pays "300" for a three unit bet, isn't that effectively the same as 300 for 3 (or 100 for 1)?  Same with video poker maybe?

[Nath]

I asked Casino Royale since it was not showing at all in my cruise planner.  They said that it would only show 60 to 90 days prior to sailing (we're at 109 days), it should be available in the internet and more category.  As we are sailing on our annual complimentary Prime cruise and then back to back on the Navigator using a cruise certificate, I asked them if I buy 2k of chips, can I use them on the following cruise, answer was you need to ask the casino host and it is to their discretion.  Following this thread...

[FireEMT978]

57 minutes ago, Nath said:

I asked Casino Royale since it was not showing at all in my cruise planner.  They said that it would only show 60 to 90 days prior to sailing (we're at 109 days), it should be available in the internet and more category.  As we are sailing on our annual complimentary Prime cruise and then back to back on the Navigator using a cruise certificate, I asked them if I buy 2k of chips, can I use them on the following cruise, answer was you need to ask the casino host and it is to their discretion.  Following this thread...

In the T&C, it says that they expire at the end of the sailing they were purchased for.

But, how would they know, if you're doing the "Chips"?

[Ourusualbeach]

13 minutes ago, FireEMT978 said:

In the T&C, it says that they expire at the end of the sailing they were purchased for.

But, how would they know, if you're doing the "Chips"?

It also states in the terms and conditions that you need to show your seapass when starting play...presumably to check if you are the one who purchased them and on that sailing.  Whether in practice they do or not is to be determined. 

[DrJAV]

Just did the $500 promo. Got $500 of $5 promo chips at the cage + $25 bonus promo chips and $5 scratch card. Took about 1.5hr of playing table minimum $10 hands to convert all the promo chips to normal chips. Had I realized they would go that quickly I would have gone for the higher promo options

[FireEMT978]

7 minutes ago, DrJAV said:

Just did the $500 promo. Got $500 of $5 promo chips at the cage + $25 bonus promo chips and $5 scratch card. Took about 1.5hr of playing table minimum $10 hands to convert all the promo chips to normal chips. Had I realized they would go that quickly I would have gone for the higher promo options

I just ordered the $2000+$200+$20 Scratch card for slots a little earlier. Going to use this on our December 30th Navigator cruise. Curious, did you verify that you received the proper tier credits for the amount purchased/played?

[DrJAV]

4 minutes ago, FireEMT978 said:

I just ordered the $2000+$200+$20 Scratch card for slots a little earlier. Going to use this on our December 30th Navigator cruise. Curious, did you verify that you received the proper tier credits for the amount purchased/played?

 

Not really sure how the play credits and stuff work as it was my first RC cruise. Every time I sat down at the table they asked for my card and typed in how much I walked up with in chips. They did this even when I'd move tables. Since they told me at the cashier cage that you cant trade down for the promo chips once you have them (IE if you took the promo chips in $100s you'd have to bet $100 at a time) they had to give me a big tray full of $500 worth of $5 promo chips. It looked kinda cool but felt ridiculous carrying it around. Anyway when I walked up to a table they'd scan my card and type in $500 or whatever I had at the time and then they'd do it again at the next table even if i only actually played $100 of them. In terms of the play credits it felt like they might have been giving me extra compared to what I actually was playing since they credited me points for whatever I rocked up to the table with.

[RC_Cruisers]

We are on Symphony right now.  My wife and I bought the $2000 package.  What you need to do is go see the cashier and tell them what package you bought.  They put the $2200 on your card and using your card put the amount you wish to play on the slot machine.  Once you have played through the amount you added to the machine you can cash out.  We put $20 in at a time and cashed out once we played the $20. We play between $1 - 2 per spin and had played through the $2200 by day 3.  

 

To get the points go see the casino host who will add 400 points which equals your original $2000 purchase. 

 

It's actually very simple and a good deal

[Wally Alligator]

10 hours ago, RC_Cruisers said:

We are on Symphony right now...

Did you happen to notice table minimums on the UTH (Ultimate Texas Holdem) table?  Wondering after hearing Rhapsody had bumped up to $15 minimum.  Anthem was $10 minimum back in September but other ships before and after were all $5.  We will be on Symphony 1/5.

[FireEMT978]

1 hour ago, Wally Alligator said:

Did you happen to notice table minimums on the UTH (Ultimate Texas Holdem) table?  Wondering after hearing Rhapsody had bumped up to $15 minimum.  Anthem was $10 minimum back in September but other ships before and after were all $5.  We will be on Symphony 1/5.

Just so you know. There was a line in the  T&C that stated no contra betting on baccarat, and it also had a blurb about not valid on UTH. That was yesterday when I purchased the package. Today, the verbiage regarding UTH is no longer on there.

[RC_Cruisers]

6 hours ago, Wally Alligator said:

Did you happen to notice table minimums on the UTH (Ultimate Texas Holdem) table?  Wondering after hearing Rhapsody had bumped up to $15 minimum.  Anthem was $10 minimum back in September but other ships before and after were all $5.  We will be on Symphony 1/5.

Just walked through there it's  $10

[boxman]

Does anyone know if you can buy more than 1 $2000 package per person? If not, can I buy 1 of each package $2000, $1000 and $500?  Or is it just 1 package per person?

[Wally Alligator]

3 minutes ago, RC_Cruisers said:

Just walked through there it's  $10

Thanks.  Was thinking at $15 I would need to find alternate entertainment and therefore no advance chip purchase.

5 hours ago, FireEMT978 said:

Just so you know. There was a line in the  T&C that stated no contra betting on baccarat, and it also had a blurb about not valid on UTH. That was yesterday when I purchased the package. Today, the verbiage regarding UTH is no longer on there.

Thanks for the heads up.  I will double check the Ts & Cs before purchase.  If not valid for UTH, then the package is a waste for me.

 

George

[RC_Cruisers]

22 minutes ago, Wally Alligator said:

Thanks.  Was thinking at $15 I would need to find alternate entertainment and therefore no advance chip purchase.

Thanks for the heads up.  I will double check the Ts & Cs before purchase.  If not valid for UTH, then the package is a waste for me.

 

George

Will keep an eye on it in case it changes